Utopia
by AsheRhyder
Summary: Everyone has a selfish little reason for living. They spend all their lives searching for it. What happens when they find it? (rated R at the very end)


Utopia

Utopia

Prologue: Paradise; The Lure of Perfection

Everyone has a selfish little reason to continue living, be it power or money or pleasure or something entirely different all together. There is not a single living being that doesn't have a distant goal to keep them moving, for if they didn't have one, they'd lose their will and die. All people will stride forward relentlessly to achieve their peace, their utopia. They spend all their lives working for it. 

What happens when they find it?

Chapter 1: Idan, Light Without Dark

Exhausted from the strenuous pace that Zelgadis Greywers kept, his fellow Slayers were practically overjoyed when he chose a place to make camp. A raging storm drove them into a cave for shelter, and they had to retreat far into the mountain's heart to stay dry.

"Finally!" Lina sighed in satisfaction as she snuggled into her bedroll by the fire. "I thought we'd never get out of that storm!"

"Yeah, it's really coming down out there." Ameria nodded, doing the same. "That tempest came up on us kind of quick, don't you think?"

"Too quickly…" Zelgadis sat with his back to the fire, facing the furious storm with equally dark eyes. His quiet, dramatic scene was accented by a flash of lightning and a crash of thunder. 

Gourry's buzz-saw snore effectively ruined the moment. 

"Let's get some sleep." Lina shook her head. "Zel's probably going to keep the same pace tomorrow, ne?"

"Hn." He snorted. 

"Zelgadis-san…" Ameria whined.

"Go to _sleep_, Ameria." He growled.

"Shaddap!" Lina snapped.

They awoke to the sounds of late spring, with the rich perfume of a thousand flowers in the air. Lina blinked in the bright sunlight from the clear sky, then twitched as the soft grass tickled her bare arms and neck. She sat up suddenly as she realized they were no longer in the same place where they had fallen asleep. 

"Ameria! Gourry! Zel!" She shouted, searching for the others. 

"What—?" Gourry moaned, a snot bubble confirming that he had slept through the entire thing. 

"Uhn…" Zelgadis pushed his lean form off the ground. "I feel like I got hit by a Dragon Slave."

"Lina-san!" Ameria wailed. "Where are we?"

"You have entered the land of Idan." A tall man in white robes appeared before them, bowing low. "I am Sedal, your guide to the light without darkness."

"Light without—" Lina started.

"—darkness?" Zelgadis' slit pupil eyes narrowed in suspicion. 

"Yes, yes, light without darkness." Sedal nodded. "Idan is completely free of negative emotions. There is no need for them here. We as that if there is anything we can do to please you, allow us to accommodate you during your stay."

"Food!" Three of them scrambled to mob the guide. Naturally, Zelgadis hung back. 

"Of course." Sedal bowed. "We have anticipated your arrival for quite some time, honorable Inverse-sama. The banquet hall awaits."

"You knew we were coming?" The chimera asked. 

"The stars foretold that the famous and beautiful sorceress Lina Inverse would come to grace our land, and find peace with our people," he replied. "We of Idan rejoice at the chance to liberate the light of a person's soul by surrounding it in happiness."

"What a wonderful place!" Ameria clasped her hands together, eyes starry with admiration. 

"Can we eat now?" Gourry pleaded. Sedal smiled warmly and lead them to a fairly large room filled with food. As always, Lina, Gourry, and Ameria attacked the feast with utter abandon. Zelgadis merely asked for a cup of hot water, cautious as ever and supplying his own tea leaves. He then proceeded to gaze, half in bemusement and half in astonishment, as men and women dressed similarly to Sedal brought dish after dish to the ravenous trio, all the while smiling radiantly.

* They seem so happy to have us here… * he thought. * It's got to be some kind of trap, but for what? *

"Greywers-sama?" A young lady with auburn hair and chestnut eyes leaned over to him, smiling as everyone else. "I am Elena, Sedal's daughter. Would you care for a massage, since you appear to have finished eating?"

Zelgadis' mind calculated how many ways he could be killed via massage, stopping at the double digits. 

"No, thank you." He declined coldly, but politely.

"I assure you, we mean you no harm." She continued. "Please? It's very relaxing…"

"I'm fine." He answered. "It wouldn't help anyway."

"What would make you happy, Greywers-sama?" She held out her hand. "We can discuss it while you relax. Please?"

He hesitated.

"Please, Greywers-sama?"

"Very well." He sighed, standing and following her.

"Hey, Lina, where's Zel going?" Gourry asked around a mouthful of food.

"I dunno." Lina blinked twice, then continued to eat.

Chapter 2: H2 Uh-Oh

Zelgadis sat on the table wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. 

"Lie down and think of quiet things." Elena whispered, gentle hands running over his chiseled muscles. Shivers of pleasure raced up his spine as he complied. She took out a couple of mottles, then paused.

"Greywers-sama, would you like rose, honey suckle, or jasmine scented oil?" She asked, presenting the three for his approval.

"It doesn't matter." He shrugged. "Jasmine, I suppose." There was a soft splash as she poured the oil, then promptly began the massage.

"What is it that would make you happy, Greywers-sama?" She asked, her hands weaving a pattern of scented delight through his torso.

"I want to be human." He tensed as her fingertips ran over his sides, just above his hips. "I never wanted to be a chimera."

"Human, not chimera." She repeated. "I think we can do something about that."

"I doubt it." He sighed. "I'm beginning to think that there is no cure."

"Greywers-sama, rest now." She cooed. "You are here to relax, not despair."

"It's just that—"

"Hush."

Zelgadis wearily closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the sensations that welled up beneath her skilled hands.

"Hey, Sedal, where'd Zel go?" Lina snagged the guide by the sleeve.

"Greywers-sama, is in relaxation therapy." Sedal bowed. "My daughter Elena is taking care of him."

"Relaxation therapy?" Ameria pouted. "What's that?"

"Relaxation therapy is a combination of techniques designed to make peace with a person who's heart is burdened with either stress or depression using massages and hot springs and the like." He smiled. "Would you like to try it?"

"It sounds great." Lina chirped. "Let's do it!"

The peace and quiet was a rare thing that Zelgadis had learned to treasure in his travels with the Slayers. As steam wafted around him, he sank deeper into the warm water. His eyes closed briefly, and he inhaled the aroma of jasmine.

"Greywers-sama." Elena announced her presence as she began to massage his shoulders and neck.

"Mmm…" He twisted away. "You don't have to do that." 

"Oh, it's quite all right, Greywers-sama." She beamed. "I enjoy giving these. Besides, I have good news."

"And what is that, Elena?" He sighed, leaning back as she happily continued the massage. 

"We can make you human again, Greywers-sama!"

"What?!" He spun around, eyes wide. "Don't lie to me…"

"All we seek is to give you peace and happiness." She offered him a white silk robe. "Being human is what you want, so we found a way for you."

"How?" His gaze narrowed, and doubt flashed through his mind.

"This is an anti-enchantment ointment that we developed long ago, to help others like you." She held up a vial of clear, syrup-like liquid.

"Like me?" His words were cautious and slow.

"Well, you know, cursed." She beamed. "It works wonders on Frog Princes and the like, and I can administer it to you in another massage. What have you got to lose?" She grabbed his hands and squeezed reassuringly.

"I suppose…" He felt his face begin to color. 

"Great!" She laid out the robe for him and smiled brighter. "I'll wait for you to finish your soak by the east table, okay? Take your time, you've —got— to unwind!" With a giggle, she darted out the door and down the hall.

Lina was fully prepared for a long soak in the hot spring, but what she saw when she opened the door to the natural enclosure was something she would never have expected. 

Zelgadis, completely nude, stretched his lean body in a cat-like way as he emerged from the hot spring. Water glistened on his hair like a thousand tiny crystals, shattering on the ground as he shook his head quickly. At a leisurely pace, he slipped on a pair of cream boxer shorts, then retrieved a robe and slipped it loosely over his shoulders. He knotted the belt, then turned.

Zelgadis' face instantly turned a hundred shades of red and pink as he saw Lina standing in the door, gaping at him. Any water still on him evaporated as his mind registered that she had just watched the entire episode while wearing nothing but a towel. A dirty thought ran rampant through his imagination, and he wondered why Gourry called her flat chested.

"A… ano… sorry!" He sputtered as he ran out the door. Lina turned to watch him go, not yet having recovered from the 'show' he had put on earlier. A wicked image was still foremost in her mind when she laid down to sleep that night.

  
Chapter 3: Only Skin Deep…

A warm tingling sensation ran throughout Zelgadis' entire body as Elena massaged the tension from his muscles. 

"Almost finished Greywers-sama." She assured him while working out a tightly knotted place in his lower right shoulder. 

"Thank you." He felt as if the mere words were inadequate to express his gratitude, but knew no other way. "Elena…"

"Yes, Greywers-sama?" She continued to toil on that knot. 

"You didn't have to do this." He sighed. 

"Do what, Greywers-sama?" She asked innocently. 

"Any of this."

"Greywers-sama—"

"Call me Zelgadis, or just plain Zel." He shrugged. "Anything but Greywers-sama. It makes me feel old."

"All right." She paused. "Zel."

"Why do you do this?" He asked. "Your people, all you try to do is make others happy. Is it that rewarding in the long run?"

"Oh, yes." Bliss rippled through his back like cool silk as the magic unwound itself from his body. "We of Idan have discovered that by giving peace, we satisfy everyone. What better reason is there to live for?"

"I… don't know." He admitted, and lazily opened his eyes. His own peach-colored skin glistening from the jasmine scented oil, greeted him. He drew in a sharp gasp as he examined his arms, then the rest of his body. There wasn't a fleck of blue or a bit of rock anywhere. 

"Finished." Elena stood back to admire her handiwork, and was pleasantly surprised at her client's unearthly beauty. His once wire-like hair, impossible to style in any other way, now was like satin waves of lavender. His wide blue eyes were filled with wonder. His wry yet well-muscled build spoke well of his years of training and wandering. Pale lips parted as he struggled to find the words to thank her. 

He ended up throwing his arms around her in an almost bone-crushing embrace as he repeated "thank you" several hundred times.

Lina was just emerging from the hot springs when she ran into _him_. 

*L-sama, the people of Idan are gorgeous.* She thought wistfully as he approached. The man's lilac tresses flowed just past the nape of his neck, and his eyes were the electric blue of the sky in the moment between night and dawn.

"Hey, Lina." He smiled, his perfect white teeth completing the angelic aura that hung around him. His airy tenor voice was…

*Wait a minute!* She froze. "Zel?!"

"Yes?" He grinned again.

"What, who, when, ah, you're… you're… you're…" She stammered. *Hot? Handsome? Drop-dead gorgeous?* Her mind fed her adjective after adjective. 

"Human." He nodded. "Elena did it all. She's wonderful."

"Elena?" Something shattered in the distance. "Sedal's daughter?"

"Yeah." There was another crash. "Beauty, brains, talent…"

"You've got it for Elena?!" Very far away, something exploded.

"She's something really special, you know?"

Somewhere beyond time and space, hell froze over.

"Great. I'm glad you're happy." Lina deadpanned, then headed for the kitchen. 

For the next several hours, she sat by the hearth sipping a tea made of Orris Root.* 

Ameria was curled up quite comfortably when she stumbled upon the entry in her mythical encyclopedia. 

"Idan." She read aloud, hear heart pounding in her chest. "This legendary beast draws in the unsuspecting traveler by offering their heart's desire, then… oh my, I've got to tell Lina-san!" She raced out of the room, praying that she wasn't too late. She nearly screamed when she saw who she collided with on her way to warn the red-head. Aged Sedal only smiled and offered her a hand. 

"And pray tell what has got you so exited, Seyroon-hime?" He asked. 

"Uh… um… ah… nothing?" She plastered a fake grin to her mouth, hoping her blue eyes wouldn't give away her fear. 

"Really, now, something has you all worked up." He tapped a spot on the back of her neck. "FORGET." Her eyes glazed over for a moment, then cleared after a few blinks.

"Wha—?" She looked around dazedly. "Sedal-san? What am I doing here?" Sedal bowed and smirked. 

"Oh, Seyroon-hime, you were just on your way to the banquet hall to meet your friends for a midnight snack." He gestured to the corridor that lead to said chamber. 

"Was I?" She murmured. "Well then, thank you very much, Sedal-san." She cheerfully skipped down the path the old man had recommended.

Morning found Gourry and Ameria asleep in their respective beds, Lina still drinking Orris Root tea by the dying kitchen fire, and Zelgadis waiting outside for the sun to rise. The glorious pastels of dawn seemed to soothe the faint pain in his head and chest. The soft colors always bathed him in relief. 

"Is this what you want to do with your life?" Lina asked, coming up behind him, tea still in hand. "Sit around and watch the sun rise every day, from the same place? You're going to stay here, aren't you?"

"What?" He turned, and noticed the dark circles under her ruby red eyes. 

"When the rest of us leave, you're going to stay behind with Elena, aren't you?" She did a splendid job of masking the emotion in her voice. "After all, you've got your cure, a girlfriend, what more could you want?"

"Go take a nap, Lina." He stood, prying the tea cup from her hand. "Worry about that kind of thing after you've slept. 

"Okay…" She shuffled towards the exit, then remembered something and turned back. "Don't drink my tea." She added, then left.

Arching an eyebrow, he sniffed the lukewarm beverage. 

"Orris Root?" He blinked in confusion.

It was nearly lunchtime before they saw each other again. 

"Lina, I know that you're an intelligent and rational being, so I'm going to ask you this straight out." He pulled her aside. "You do realize what Orris Root is used for, correct?"

"Did you drink my tea?" She glared grumpily at him. 

"No, I honored your request." He shook his head, then continued. "Why on earth were you taking it? Don't you know—"

"Zelgadis-san! Zelgadis-san!" Ameria interrupted him, sparring Lina the embarrassment of answering the inquiry.

"What is it, Ameria?" He sighed.

"Here's the book I borrowed from you, Zelgadis-san." She chirped, pressing a leathery bound tome into his hands. "Thanks for lending it to me."

"No problem." He shrugged, and stashed it in a sub-dimensional pocket. "Lina, tell—"

"Hey, guys!" Gourry cut him off, and Lina was saved a second time. "Lunchtime, ne? This place has the best food! Let's go!"

"Yeah! Food!" Lina yelled, making a mad dash for the dining hall. Zelgadis sighed and followed the others at his own pace. He would speak with her later…

Late that night, while Gourry was sleeping, Ameria wrote new justice speeches, and Lina soaked in a hot spring while drinking the hallucinogenic aphoristic Orris Root tea, Zelgadis searched through every book he could find for information about Idan.

Finally, he came to the last volume in his collection; An Encyclopedia of the Supernatural. He skimmed the index briefly, but his heart skipped several beats as he saw the listing.

"Idan. See also; emotional parasites." His fingers were hinted with blue as he turned the pages. "This legendary beast draws in the unsuspecting traveler by offering their hearts' desire, then proceeds to devour those positive emotions, making said victim a mindless zombie programmed to act accordingly in order to lure in more people."

He looked at his face in the mirror, then closed his eyes and willed the illusion away. 

"It's all a lie. I must overcome it. I have to warn Lina."

Tears streamed down his face, and his stone fist shattered the looking glass.

  
Chapter 4: Venom of an Angry Heart

* Nothing like a good meal to keep your mind off your troubles. * Lina thought as she stretched lazily in her chair. * Speaking of which, here has Zelgadis wandered off to now? *

"Has anyone seen Zel?" She asked aloud. 

"No, not since yesterday's lunch." Gourry paused, a half-eaten sausage skewered on the end of his fork. 

"Lina-san, do you think he could be in some kind of trouble?" Ameria asked. 

"Little mind reader." The sorceress muttered to herself. "I don't know, maybe we should ask Sedal." She tried to formulate the worst possible scenario, but all she saw was Zelgadis doing some extremely erotic things with Elena. 

"Sedal-san!" The young princess waved to the white robed elder as he stooped to take away the dirty dishes that had accumulated. 

"Seyroon-hime, how may I be of service?" He grinned.

"Do you know where Zelgadis-san is at the moment?" She inquired, and the old man looked thoughtful for a while.

"I believe he is currently in his chambers, Seyroon-hime." He handed a moderately sized stack of plates to a passer-by, who was more than happy to accompany it to the kitchen. "Will there be anything else? Shall I bring out dessert?"

"Yeah, that would be great." She thanked him politely, then turned to find Lina staring out the window. "Lina-san, don't you want any dessert?"

"Look at the sky." The red-head murmured. "No clouds." Indeed, the cerulean spans was bare of all clouds, and yet the light was fading.

"What's happening?" Ameria whimpered. 

"LINA!!!" The cry echoed through the large room as the giant doors crashed open violently, sending dust and broken wall everywhere. 

"What the—?!" Said sorceress turned to the disturbance.

Amidst the debris stood a battle ravaged chimera. His clothes were torn and stained with a thick greenish substance, and the black nothing-matter that was the blood of Mazoku. Soot and ash stained his face and hands, and a few burn marks marred the edges of his larger wounds. 

There was a thud as something blunt and heavy hit the ground.

"It's not real." He growled, kicking the lump at his feet to them. "Idan is a lie!" A violet-scaled head came to rest at Lina's feet, and she pulled back in disgust. 

"Elena!" Sedal hissed from behind her. Both she and Zelgadis were on him in a minute. Lina threw question after question at him, shaking him belligerently by the collar when he didn't answer.

"Enough." The chimera snarled, hate in his eyes and death on his voice. "Show your true form, Idan. You're not fooling us any longer."

In the spans of a heartbeat, elderly Sedal transformed into a reptilian demon with magenta scales, violet wings, and three poisonous barbs on his tail. 

"Insolent mortals!" He roared, overturning the table so that Gourry and Ameria were pinned under it. "You challenge me? Prepare to suffer the consequences!"

"There's that stock dialogue again." Lina groaned. 

"Pay attention to the current emergency." Zelgadis darted out of the way f the demon's sharp claws, increasing the distance as the talons easily sliced through the stone floor. 

"Die!" Idan's tail lashed out and wound around Lina so that the poisonous barbs were at her throat her arms were immobile at her sides.

"Lina!" Gourry cried, struggling to free himself and Ameria from the table's weight. 

"Idan, stop!" Zelgadis yelled. "Leave her alone!"

"You are in no position to be making demands, stone-boy." Idan snarled, tightening his grip. 

"Your fight is with me, not her." The chimera lifted Elena's severed head. "Take my life for your vengeance, but let her go." 

"He's just going to finish us off once you're gone anyway!" Lina squirmed. She glanced back to her blue skinned friend, and his eyes spoke volumes. Gratitude, appreciation, kindness, and sorrow, his eyes seemed to say what he could not.

* Let me buy you some time. * He smiled sadly. *Let me go, I know your feelings. Let me do this for you. *

"Zel…" She struggled to free her hands, knowing if only she could, the monster would be toast. 

Before Lina could react, or even scream, Idan's claws had pierced the chimera's stone skin. His blood shone with dying light on the sharp edges, but his smirk did not fade. In one swift movement, he flung his sword at her. The blade sliced neatly through Idan's tail, and she fell to the floor, free at last. The monster roared in pain over his disjoined appendage, preparing to attack Zelgadis with maddened fervor. But Zelgadis' eyes were glowing with his own pride and power, and Lina barely had time to scramble out of the way of her comrade's spiritual attack.

"RA TILT!" Blue-white light erupted in a solid pillar around Idan, shredding his astral form. As parts of the monster's preternatural anatomy were torn apart, the illusionary paradise around them flickered in and out of focus. Zelgadis concentrated harder, forcing more energy into the empyreal attack. Blood trickled from his mouth as his own chi began to seep into the column

"Zel!" Lina placed her hand on his shoulder, wishing she knew how to share power like he did. He smiled to her over his shoulder, his eyes softening even as the level of the spell continued to increase. 

With one final screech, the chimera's spell tore the legendary beast to nothing from the inside out. Zelgadis' glowing blue eyes closed as he exhaled slowly, slumping in exhaustion. The red-head caught him as he fell, staring in shock at the bloody lacerations that ran across his chest. 

"Ameria!" She cried, and the small princess skidded to a halt in front of them. "You're better at healing, help Zel before… before…" The Seyroon noble nodded quickly, quietly chanting the spell for:

"RE—"

"No." Glacial eyes snapped open with the simple phrase. "Poisoned." Behind the icy colored gaze, fear shone thick like blood. 

"DICLEARY!" Ameria prayed for Zelgadis to be strong enough to survive the exhaustion that would accompany Recovery.

The cerulean skinned youth nearly screamed as he felt unknown venom being burned from his system. Lina grasped his hand tightly for reassurance, and Gourry hovered over her protectively. 

"Hang on, Zel." She whispered. "It's almost finished."

"RECOVERY!" Ameria shouted, channeling the holy power into his injured body. She wished they had the time to use Resurrection, but every second was vital to saving his life. Tears rolled down her face as she watched the bleeding cease, but did not find any traces of stone skin regenerating.

  
Chapter Five: Surface Breaking

Zelgadis' body was unnaturally still. That in itself was enough to make their blood run cold. After all, they were the Slayers, the invincible ones, and they _never_ lost. They defeated Dark Lords, saved the world time after time, and had the most powerful and rare magic at their command. Death was not an option for them. 

Of course it wasn't. They're the heroes, after all, and the powers that be declared there to be no angst. So, as they took the greatest care in washing the blood from the Shaman's chest, they were quite surprised to see that the rocky surface they had all thought was his skin was crumbling like an old shell. Beneath that encasement of cobalt stone was human flesh, smooth and untouched. 

"Whoa." Gourry poked the edge of the husk, and it broke away from his touch. "Cool!" Despite Lina and Ameria's shocked cries, he pried open the armor-like chest of their chimera friend, destroying his already ruined shirt in the process. Oddly enough, Zelgadis was still breathing underneath the rocky exterior.

"Zel!" Lina gasped, running her hands over his face and brushing off the shattered stone mask that had once been his true front.

"Mmm?" He moaned weakly, his expression tightening slightly. 

"C'mon, help me get the rest of this stuff off of him." She blushed and looked to Gourry. "Someone's got to do it, and I—" A sweat drop rolled down her head as the blonde swordsman passed out. 

"He must be tired." Ameria nodded sagely, then flushed as she noticed the red head had turned to her. "Oh no, no, no, no, no!" 

"Argh." Lina bemoaned her fate. "Why me?" The princess of Seyroon took this opportunity to scoot over to Gourry. Zelgadis whimpered, as if having his body from the bottom of the rib cage down encased in stone was causing him pain. Lina sighed, then gritted her teeth and proceeded to tear off his pants. Ameria soon joined Gourry on the floor, her poor mind spiraling from 'impure' thoughts. The sorceress removed all the rocky covering from his legs, and finally came to the line of his black underwear. 

"Sorry about this, Zel." She whispered. "At least you're still alive…" She nearly bit off her tongue in effort to control her hormones. She slid his underwear off of his long legs, wondering how _any_ guy could have such a magnificent blend of muscle and leanness. Gingerly, she reached to caress his member, praying to all the gods that the stone there would be just as easy to break. It was, but by L-sama, he was large. It took her a while to get the rock from his testicles alone.

"Lina…" He cried out as she moved to his shaft. She froze, not sure of how she was going to explain this if he regained consciousness. By luck alone, he did not awaken. Luck did not stay with her, though, as her actions caused him to become aroused. Lina almost fainted. 

"Damn, I wish I hadn't drank all of that Orris Root tea…" she muttered as she finished removing the stony shell. She gave him a thorough examination to ensure that all of the chimerical skin was gone, then replaced his underwear. His pants and shirt were beyond repair, so she wrapped him in her cloak and settled down to sleep next to him. When all of one's companions are asleep, one may as well take a nap, too. 

Minutes after Lina had fallen into slumber, Zelgadis reached over and embraced her. 

"Thank you, Lina." He smiled as she snuggled closer to him. "You've given me peace… and I think, perhaps, something more."


End file.
